Concrete Angel
by Angelic Prophecy
Summary: 6-year-old Riley Poole moves to Baltimore with his mother, and meets Sophie Andrews. Sophie is keeping secrets, however, and this could mean the end of their friendship, and maybe even Sophie's life.
1. Verse 1

This is the second songfic I've written today

**This is the second songfic I've written today. I'm amazed.**

**Anyways, this song, as you may have guessed. if based on the song "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride, which I do not own. I do not own Riley either. However, I do own Sophie, her mother, and any other characters you don't recognize.**

**I must warn you that this story does deal with child abuse, as that is the theme of the song. I just wanted you to have fair warning. **

**I hope this is to your liking.**

--

Sophie Andrews shivered a bit as she walked down the street. Her thin dress was no match for the chilly October winds. She pulled her worn coat closer to her body, clutching her paper bag with the lunch she'd made herself firmly in her hands. She stumbled, slipping on the slick orange leaves that littered the sidewalks. She winced as forearms hit the sidewalk, as they were already bruised. She quickly pulled herself to her feet, walking even faster down the sidewalk towards the brick school building.

Sophie slides into her seat in the back of the room just as the bell rings. The teacher, Miss Turner entered the class room with a big smile on her face, and Sophie can hardly keep herself from smiling back. She had loved school since last year, when she started. As long as she could be away from home….

Home. The word, comforting to most, sent a chill down Sophie's spine. Her arms and legs suddenly ache as she thinks of it. She knew that behind the lacey dress that barely went past her knees, there were many black and purple bruises.

_Mama, no! Please don't!_

Sophie pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused on the boy hiding behind Miss Turner.

"Good morning class." The teacher said, her voice full of enthusiasm.

"Good morning, Miss Turner." The class chorused.

The tall woman smiled. "Class, this is Riley. He'll be joining us for the rest of the year." Miss Turner stepped aside to reveal a pale boy with large glasses, freckles, and a mop of dark hair. Color rose into the boy's cheeks as the class greeted him the same way they'd greeted the teacher. Miss Turner knelt beside Riley.

"Why don't you sit next to Sophie?" She asked gently, pointing at Sophie. The boy nodded wordlessly and walked slowly to the back of the room. He slid in next to Sophie who smiled at him. He slowly smiled back.

--

"A, P, P, L, E. Apple."

Even as she read to her students, Eliza Turner was distracted. She focused on one student in the back of the room. Sophie Andrews. There was something in that downcast face broke Eliza's heart. She could tell that Sophie, though she was one of the smartest 6-year-olds she knew, was hiding something behind the calm mask. It hurt to watch her as those innocent blue eyes flew across the pages of any book given to her.

"B, O, A, T. Boat." Mrs. Turner instructed.

Sophie didn't have many friends either. That bothered Eliza as well. Surely a girl that smart would be able to find one friend. But Sophie spent her recesses and lunch alone, hardly glancing at the other children.

--

"B, O, A, T. Boat."

Sophie listened to the class and spoke with them, but her mind was not on the spelling book in front of her. It was on the bruises she had carefully concealed with the same dress she'd worn the day before. It wasn't fair that she was treated this way, Sophie knew that. As much as she wanted to tell someone about what was happening…

_A harsh smack made Sophie whimper._

"_You will tell no one what happened. No one, do you understand?"_

_Sophie couldn't speak through the tears. A second smack on the cheek. _

"_Do you understand, Sophia?"_

"_Yes mama! I understand, mama!"_

Sophie looked down, fighting the tears threatening to flow. She wanted to do something, but she couldn't. The thought kept circling through her head, again and again.

_I wish I'd never been born._

It's not like anyone would care if she hadn't. Her mother hated her; she knew this for a fact. In her mother's eyes, she was a mistake. Something she wanted to forget.

And she had no friends. So nobody would care if she just disappeared off the face of the Earth. Maybe her mother would be happy then. Sophie simply wanted to disappear.

Sophie brushed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up at Miss Turner.

"C, A, T. Cat."

--

Sophie sat on her usual bench and opened her lunch bag. A peanut butter sandwich, some apple slices, and a bottle filled with milk. The same as always. With a small sigh, Sophie brushed away a stand of her red hair and picked up the sandwich.

"E-Excuse me?" A timid voice asked. Sophie looked up and saw the new boy in her class looking up at her. "Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure." Sophie patted the bench. She was happy to have some company, even if she hardly knew the boy. He sat down next to her with a small smile.

"I'm Riley."

"I'm Sophie." Sophie paused, not sure what to say next. "Where's your lunch?"

"I didn't bring one." Riley's face turned red.

Sophie looked down at her lunch and then smiled at Riley. "Do you want some of my sandwich? I don't have much, but I'll share anyways. It's peanut butter." She held out the other half of it. Riley thanked her and took it from her hand.

"That's a pretty dress you're wearing." The young boy commented.

"Thank you." Sophie smiled. "Are you new in Baltimore?"

Riley nodded, swallowing. "I just moved to Delavan Street."

"I live on Delavan Street!" Sophie exclaimed.

"That's so cool!" Riley seemed to brighten. The two children talked all through lunch, and Sophie felt a bit ashamed of what she'd been thinking earlier. She had finally made a new friend.

--

Eliza found a drawing on her desk later that afternoon. She immediately recognized the handwriting and drawing style. "Sophie." She said to herself with a smile. The drawing was beautiful, and very well done for a 6-year-old.

A girl who looked very much like Sophie with angel wings sat on a cloud, her face turned up. Sophie had big dreams and a big imagination for such a tiny young girl.

There was a hidden intention behind the drawing that only Sophie knew about, though. This was her new dream. She wished to have wings, and be able to fly away. She didn't know where she would fly, but she was sure it would be a place where she could feel cared about, and most importantly, loved.

--

_She walks to school with the lunch she packed_

_Nobody knows what she's holdin' back_

_Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday_

_She hides the bruises with linen and lace_

_The teacher wonders but she doesn't ask_

_It's hard to see the pain behind the mask_

_Bearing the burden of a secret storm_

_Sometimes she wishes she was never born_

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

--

**What do you think? Do you have a review for me?**


	2. Verse 2

**Thanks for the reviews and adds. I appreciate it.**

**Chapter 2…..**

--

Over the past 2 months, Sophie and Riley had become close friends. They shared everything from jokes to crayons. The pair had even realized their windows were across from each other, so they could talk to each other without ever leaving home or picking up the telephone. One night in particular, the two were talking as they always had. Snowflakes were beginning to fall from the night sky. Sophie held out her hand and caught one, which immediately melted in her palm.

She could never remember being so happy. Being with Riley, her first real friend, was exciting, and she began to love going to school even more.

"It's snowing!" Riley cried gleefully from across the gap. He grinned, showing the hole where his front teeth had been.

"I'm going to go out and make a snowman tomorrow." Sophie said dreamily, leaning on the window sill.

"Can I help?" Riley asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Sophie smiled. "After that we can have a snow fight and we can…" Suddenly Sophie stopped mid-sentence. "Oh no." She whispered to herself.

"What's the matter, Soph?" Riley asked, using the nickname he'd made up for her.

"I…I have to go!" Sophie quickly closed the window and the shade. Riley looked through the shade. He could see another shadow come into the room. The person grabbed Sophie by the shoulders, shaking her around. Then she grabbed the little girl's wrists as she tried to struggle. Finally, Sophie broke free and quickly darted from the room, and Riley could hear her screams even from where he was. He shivered, the night suddenly becoming chilly.

Every so often, Sophie would run back into the room, only to be chased by the strange person. She would often scream things like "Please stop! Don't hurt me!"

An hour later, the shadow person set Sophie down in her bed, turning out the light. Riley leaned over and knocked on the window. He received no response. Puzzled, he knocked again. Still no answer. This didn't make any sense. Sophie _always_ came to the window, even if she was sleeping. Suddenly, Riley panicked and ran downstairs into the living room where his mother was watching television.

"Riley, I thought you were sleeping. What's the matter, sweetheart?" Anne Poole looked at her young son in obvious concern.

"It's Sophie, Mommy. I knocked on her window, but she didn't say anything. I think something happened." Riley whimpered.

"Maybe she's sleeping." Anne tried to reason with her son.

"But Sophie always answers, Mommy! Something's wrong." The boy insisted. "A mean person did something to her. I think it was her mommy."

The color suddenly disappeared from Anne's face. "I need to call someone, Riley. Will you stay here for Mommy?" Riley nodded and sat down on the couch as his mother left the room, her hand clapped over her mouth. Riley could see his mother's shadow as she paced back and forth in the kitchen, talking on the phone. A few minutes later, Mrs. Poole returned and gently pulled Riley into her lap. He looked up at his mother's face.

"What happened to Sophie, Mommy?" He asked, his blue eyes pleading and innocent. Anne kissed the top of her son's head, stroking his hair.

"I wish I knew, Ry."

A few minutes later, cars began appearing in front of the house next door, with flashing lights and sirens.

"What are those cop cars doing there?" Riley asked in surprise. Mrs. Poole didn't answer, but darted out the door, Riley following close behind. He stood by the yellow tape, watching as people went in and out of the house. Then two big men came out carrying Sophie, except she looked different. There were red stains on her dress and she was awfully still. Unable to stand this sight any longer, Riley can back into his house as fast as his legs could go.

Long after the flashing lights had faded away, Riley's mother came inside. Wordlessly, she ran to Riley, scooping him into her arms and holding on tightly. He could hear her crying softly, and she sat down, holding her son on her lap.

"I love you, Riley. Never forget that, OK?"

Riley nodded wordlessly, feeling tears stinging his eyes. He sat there on his mother's lap, her arms around him until they had both drifted into an uneasy sleep.

--

_Somebody cries in the middle of the night_

_The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights_

_A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate_

_When morning comes it'll be too late_

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

--

**-Sniff- This is so sad. I love this song, but it makes me cry. I nearly cried writing this.**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	3. Verse 3

**This is the last chapter, so I hope you guys liked my story! Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 3!**

**--**

**December 16****th****, 2004**

Riley bit the inside of cheek as he approached the wooded cemetery, getting a bit nervous. He sighed a little as he went up the dirt path in his car, snowflakes beginning to fall from the gray sky. Finally, he reached his destination. He fingered the flower in his hand delicately as he stepped out into the snow.

"_I'm going to go out and make a snowman tomorrow." _

He swallowed a little, tears beginning to sting behind his blue eyes. He approached the spot where he'd stood nearly 20 years before and looked down at the stone. A little angel made of concrete kneeling down and facing the sky, adorned the polished stone where the name had been carved.

_Sophia Marie Andrews_

_1978-1984_

Riley blinked, fingering one of the angel's outstretched wings.

"Sophie, I…" The words caught in his throat. I felt unusual, speaking to a stone instead of a person. The felt the snowflakes catch on his eyelashes, melting and mixing with water that was already there. "Sophie…" His voice cracked. He held out his hand, letting the snow melt in his palm.

"I miss you, Soph."

"_I'm Riley."_

"_I'm Sophie."_

He paused as he looked out across the empty field. He looked up for a minute, and he almost could've sworn he saw Sophie standing by the tree.

_Are you coming?_

He looked up again, and there was nothing there. He shook his head and gently put the flower, a small red rose on the stone. He wrapped his coat closer around his body to protect himself from the cold.

"I love you Sophie." He walked a few feet and then paused, thinking over the words he'd just spoken. How could he have been so blind? Over the past 20 years, he'd thought about Sophie so often, and never once had he realized his true feelings for her. Though he'd been 6 years old at the time, the bond they'd created over those 3 months hadn't just been friendship.

"I love you, Sophie." He repeated, as if to be sure it was true. As he headed to towards the car, he almost believed he heard her voice in the wind.

_Love you too._

--

_A statue stands in a shaded place_

_An angel girl with an upturned face_

_A name is written on a polished rock_

_A broken heart that the world forgot_

_Through the wind and the rain_

_She stands hard as a stone_

_In a world that she can't rise above_

_But her dreams give her wings_

_And she flies to a place where she's loved_

_Concrete angel_

--

**I hope you liked this story. Reviews would be appreciated! **


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